Montana Governor Signs Law to Protect Innocent People From Having Their Property Seized by Police
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) signed a bill Tuesday that will overhaul the state’s civil asset forfeiture laws.
The set of reforms, which will go into effect in July, was approved with overwhelming bipartisan support in the state legislature last month. Bullock’s signature came hours before the deadline for him to sign or veto bills from the legislative session.
Civil asset forfeiture is a controversial legal tool that allows police to seize property they suspect of being related to criminal activity, without first obtaining a conviction or even charging its owner with a crime. Property — including cash, jewelry, cars and houses — is then turned for a profit, part of which flows back to the department that made the seizure. This process often forces owners to wage costly court battles to prove their property was obtained legally. Critics also claim it has created a system of “policing for profit” that leads officers to prioritize seizures so they can use the resulting funds to pad their budgets.
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